MedCity Influencers, Patient Engagement

5 Ways EHRs Benefit Your Patients

When researching and selecting an EHR, it can be easy to look singularly at how […]

When researching and selecting an EHR, it can be easy to look singularly at how it will impact your practice. It’s important not to overlook how an EHR will impact and benefit your patients. Based on actual feedback from our user community, below are five benefits that EHRs can offer to your patients.

Patient participation

By giving patients access to their medical records through the use of a patient portal, EHRs enable patients to more proactively maintain and manage their personal health. One Practice Fusion user notes,“Being able to create a care plan that patients can directly interface on the patient health record side makes our job much easier.”

HealthIT.gov points out that “patient participation is especially important in managing and treating chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes, and obesity.”

 

Better scheduling

Without an EHR, scheduling an appointment can be a less than straightforward task. If it’s after hours or the office manager is on break, it means having to leave a voicemail, sit around and wait for a call back. If there are multiple people calling at the same time, patients are placed on hold. Being able to schedule appointments online is convenient for both the patient and the practice.

A Practice Fusion user highlighted that “the scheduling system allows patients to make their appointments without calling or making a visit to the office.”

 

Comprehensive medical history

As a patient, it can be a daunting task to keep track of every vaccination, allergy and prescription. As a result, the patient intake process can be a bit of a guessing game for the patient. By having a patient’s comprehensive medical history available in the EHR at any time, the onus isn’t on the patient to remember their medical history for every doctor’s appointment.

When asked about how an EHR improved their practice’s efficiency, a Practice Fusion user said: “Complete patient history and charts were not readily available before EHR. Now they are at my fingertips.”

 

Convenient appointment reminders

Appointments can be tough to keep track of. With convenient email and/or text reminders, the patient can easily be kept apprised of the details of their upcoming appointment.

 

Increased legibility of notes and prescriptions

Doctors’ handwriting has been a long-standing punchline. However, poor legibility can lead to problems with patients understanding the doctor’s notes to follow post-visit. An EHR eliminates legibility issues and also allows for easier follow up with the patient.

Upgrading from paper charts to an EHR is a change that benefits both you and your patients. It not only provides a better experience for your patients, but it enables them to better manage their personal health.

 


Ryan Howard

Ryan is the founder, chairman and CEO of Practice Fusion. He founded the company in 2005 and has grown it into the largest physician-patient community in the US. Serving over 80 million patients, the platform connects doctors, pharmacies, labs, and imaging centers to solve healthcare’s biggest challenges. Under Ryan’s leadership, the company has raised $134 million in capital from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Orbimed Advisors, Deerfield Management Company, Artis Ventures, Founders Fund, Felicis Ventures and Band of Angels to fuel its rapid growth.

Ryan has spoken on health technology and innovation at Microsoft, Stanford, UC Berkeley, HIMSS, SDForum and Commonwealth Club events and has been quoted by the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Wired as an innovative leader in the sector. He has been recognized as one of the Top 40 under 40 by the San Francisco Business Times, Silicon Valley 100 by Business Insider and was named a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum.

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